https://biastoact.com/Ghost 0.11Fri, 10 May 2019 22:17:08 GMT60I don't know who doesn't enjoy CGP Grey's stuff on Youtube. But he really hit it out of the park with this video. It gives you step by step instructions on how to be miserable. And in doing some helps you identify how much control you actually you have]]>https://biastoact.com/maximize-misery/ee101a89-0655-4417-85d2-baa97f72d490Wed, 31 May 2017 18:38:00 GMT

I don't know who doesn't enjoy CGP Grey's stuff on Youtube. But he really hit it out of the park with this video. It gives you step by step instructions on how to be miserable. And in doing some helps you identify how much control you actually you have over how you feel.

]]>TMBA is one of my can't miss podcasts. On a recent episode, they interviewed John Logar in the best conversation about sales I've ever heard. Awesome overview of how to build a funnel, generate leads and close those leads.

TMBA is one of my can't miss podcasts. On a recent episode, they interviewed John Logar in the best conversation about sales I've ever heard. Awesome overview of how to build a funnel, generate leads and close those leads.

Don't just send out one offer, you want to send out a really basic sequence of four emails, and this is the context. You send the offer as the first email. The second email is the next day or the day after, "I just want to make sure you got that email. The third email is, "I'd love to know what you thought about this offer." And the last email is, "Are you interested in taking advantage of this? I've got one more spot." Simple four step sequence. Works every time.

On outsourcing:

If we're an independent person, we're going to limit our income if we're going to be delivering the services ourselves. So, if we do the work, then we're going to sit there, okay, I've got a few clients on board, now I've got to fulfill. But, while I'm still doing that I'm not actually generating sales. So we end up in a roller coaster cycle. So the reason for the 80-20 rule, 80% on sales, 20% on fulfillment, is you want to systemize or you want to look at ways of outsourcing the fulfillment based on your margins so that you've got good profit. So, that you can leverage into sales, because you want to be bringing clients on board consistently to create a compounding effect of revenue in your business.

On proposals:

If somebody asks me, "John, can you send me a proposal?" My response is I'm more than happy to send you an invoice with a list of inclusions. A proposal is an exploration. The problem with a proposal is you spend three to six hours putting these things together, you put the price on the very last page, and what happens is that person receives that proposal and flicks through your six, seven pages of information of how great this is going to be for them, and looks at how much this is going to cost them. And so the value proposition is based on how much it's costing, not what it's worth to the business. And so half the time people will not read your three to six hours of work. So let's eliminate doing three to six hours of work, right?

There are a lot more nuggets of gold inside.

Incidentally, if you like this kind of content you'll probably enjoy the Everyday Sales channel on youtube.

]]>This video was posted on reddit a few days ago. It more or less sums up my own relationship with sugary caffeinated sodas. I love the visitation of migrans. Very well done.

Winston Churchill sitting in Hitler's chair. Does it get any better than that? This is one of my favorite photos. Such a powerful image and profound reversal of fortunes.

History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.

Winston Churchill

There was a time when the Germans appeared unstoppable and the United Kingdom, under incredible economic and political pressure, might be expected to succumb and sue for peace with the aggressor. These were dark days when bombs rained down on the Capitol City and there was nothing the British Empire - greatest perhaps in all history - could do to prevent it.

But the dry rot at the heart of British leadership had started long before the war. While pressure from without and from within had long been growing on the empire, many looked to one Adolf Hitler himself as the model for renewal that the nation should follow.

David Lloyd George had been to Germany, and been so dazzled by the Führer that he compared him to George Washington. Hitler was a 'born leader', declared the befuddled former British Prime Minister. He wished that Britain had 'a man of his supreme quality at the head of affairs in our country today'. This from the hero of the First World War! The man who had led Britain to victory over the Kaiser!

There are thousands of books about Churchill, a fair number of them written by Churchill himself. His life is so profound and interesting not because it represents flawless execution and success, but because he so often failed. Yet, somehow, he survived. It can be argued that no man in history ever collected such as a vast array of personal, political, and military disasters as did Churchill.

But Churchill wasn't some ashtray collecting cinders from other men's cigars. Winston Churchill asserted influence over his own destiny - and then the World's. He took action and he was at fault when things went south. Men died because of his decisions.

When it came to dealing with this leadership challenge, Churchill was pig-headed. His stubborn attachment to his own point of view, coupled with a can-do attitude that verged on the hubristic, led him to ignore, discount and distort vital data. He forcefully imposed his strategy and did not give ample space for dissenting voices to challenge his assumptions, express their views, or explore alternative strategies. The merits of his plan seemed completely self-evident to him, and he was hell-bent on seeing that his strategy prevailed.

And yet no matter the blood or tears he always came back. Churchill rose again from far more than most men will ever fall to. He worked tirelessly. He refined his craft, learned from his mistakes, and doubled down on his bets. He operated with a clear vision for what he wanted - for himself and for his country. And be brought others with him.

Hitler showed the evil that could be done by the art of rhetoric. Churchill showed how it could help to save humanity. It has been said that the difference between Hitler’s speeches and Churchill's speeches was that Hitler made you think he could do anything; Churchill made you think you could do anything.

People are drawn to those who have vision. But vision alone isn't enough. When the hammer falls, the punches come, and the mistakes are made you must still be there. When you pick the wrong path, and the failure is all your fault, you must still be there. Indomitable. Dauntless. Intrepid.
Finding strength, energy, and inspiration from the defeats lays at the heart all true success.

And that leads me to two fundamental questions:

What is the equivalent of Hitler's chair in your own life? Who's metaphorical grave will you stand on?

What are you willing to come back from to make it happen?

]]>You may know John Cleese as one of the iconic creativity minds behind Monty Python, or as an actor in films like Die Another Day (he played Q?), The World Is Not Enough (he played R), two of the Harry Potter Films (who could forget Nearly Headless Nick), or The]]>https://biastoact.com/john-cleese-on-creativity/a1e7f2fe-5345-4ec2-8ed0-e70124e0da16Wed, 17 May 2017 16:59:14 GMT

You may know John Cleese as one of the iconic creativity minds behind Monty Python, or as an actor in films like Die Another Day (he played Q?), The World Is Not Enough (he played R), two of the Harry Potter Films (who could forget Nearly Headless Nick), or The Great Muppet Caper. Seriously he's done some memorable films as well, including Rat Race - one of my all-time favoriate comedies.

The man is also a productivity genius, giving thoughtful and compelling interviews down through the years as well as lecturing on creativity. The talk below I especially love because he goes into detail on how your mind keeps chewing on a problem even while you are sleeping.

I have found it very powerful to take a hard problem I'm stuck on, sleep on it, and see if it is still really such a problem the next day.

]]>I believe our political leaders have two kinds of power over us. The first is the power of the State : where men (and women) with guns show up and compel us to conform to the state's edicts. We have no choice, beyond a yearly vote, in how this power is]]>https://biastoact.com/this-is-revolution/5b804694-f4d4-49b3-98fb-4baeaecfe554Sun, 05 Feb 2017 05:18:08 GMT

I believe our political leaders have two kinds of power over us. The first is the power of the State : where men (and women) with guns show up and compel us to conform to the state's edicts. We have no choice, beyond a yearly vote, in how this power is applied to us.

The second is more insidious. It is the power of loyalty. Where affinity for Ds or Rs, or for particular Mayors, Governors, or Presidents allows our emotions to be drawn up or slammed down with the daily news cycle. 'They' are outraged so I should be outraged. 'They' are crowing in victory so I should crow in victory. I am loyal. But I am not free.

Here's the truth: your personal happiness should not rise and fall based on who is in office or how feverishly your favorite news host sprays words and salvia at the TV camera. Don't give others that kind of power over your joy.

Injustice will continue. And the sun will still rise. Government policy and parliamentary maneuvering can prevent neither.

But you have power to make the world measurably better. Not by standing up for things, but by reaching out to others. Start with the people in your own life.

Be slow to anger. Slow to speak. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Bend over backward to forgive offense. Assume those who think differently than you are at least as well intentioned. Believe those who hurt you are reacting in their own pain. Go above and beyond exceeding all reasonable social expectations to seek forgiveness when fellowship is broken, even if only 1% of the blame is on you. Be generous, expecting nothing back. Be kind, especially when others don't deserve kindness.

This is revolution. There will always be those willing to sacrifice on the alter their happiness, personnel relationships, and character for the political fight. You have the power to choose not to be numbered among them.

]]>Long live the state-god!

Eight years ago I saw, heard, and read the terror and depression of nearly half the population as America elected the most progressive oriented President we've had since FDR, or perhaps ever. My friends on the right didn't care that he was black, they were terror

Eight years ago I saw, heard, and read the terror and depression of nearly half the population as America elected the most progressive oriented President we've had since FDR, or perhaps ever. My friends on the right didn't care that he was black, they were terror struck because the last defence against the 'evil' progressive left that already owned the house and senate was now wiped away. Their god, which was the state, had just died. Or been killed by city dwellers who don't know how the real world works!

Yesterday I saw, heard, and read a similar terror and depression sweep over my friends on the left. It wasn't that the new President was white, the terror comes because the last defence against every step forward over the last eight years had crumbled. This invincible-all-just-all-knowing-all-righteous progressive god of the state had died. Or been killed by rural citizens who don't know how the real world works!

The same could be said for the end of the Reagan/Bush era and the end of the Clinton era. And no doubt changes in administrations long before I was born.

But here is the thing, you are in a bubble.

It may be the bubble of Seattle (where I live) where every war is unjust and every city park a campground. It may be you are in rural Montana (where I grew up) where every gun is sacred and every tax an affront to liberty. Or it may be on Facebook, where algorithms make sure you don't hear from people you disagree with.

When you are in a bubble and when every voice sounds the same and every voice says the same things (cough talk radio, *cough NPR) and then the state is handed over to the *other people, you will feel insecure and you will feel depressed. The institutions and voices you put your faith in, who told you everything would be ok, have suddenly been revealed to be empty and toothless. Your state-god is dead. While the other people have their state-god back.

I'd like to suggest to you that you shouldn't put your faith in the state. It exists to carry out injustice with the hope that it will pick the lesser of many evils 51% of the time. To take from one, and give to another. To jail one, and let another walk free. To take life from one, to free another from bondage. To praise children as the future, and discourage population increase. To make one thing cheap, and another thing expensive. It wields mighty power but has a terribly inconsistent track record. Beyond this, it is also a racket obsessed with protecting itself (one of the many reasons that 6 of the 10 wealthiest counties in America surround the capital).

If you put your faith in the state then at times you may be delighted when tanks roll, or the White House is bathed in rainbow light. At other times you will fall on your face in grief because it got slightly harder to get an abortion, or a new city refuses to deport undocumented workers. Some laughed eight years ago when Texas wanted to succeed from the union. Now others laugh when California wants to do the same thing.

If your state-god died today, or eight years ago, or back in the 80s, or the day Lincoln was shot : keep it dead! The state makes a terrible god. The D or the R floating next to a leader's name should not dictate your happiness, the way you treat your family, or the way you treat your neighbours.

I'm not saying issues and policy aren't important. I'm not saying you shouldn't vote. I'm not saying you shouldn't run for office. I am saying that your life will regularly be hell if you worship the false god of the state.

Don't worship your kids, your spouse, your church, your college, your governor, your President, Social Security, the UN, or the planet. Don't assume that nothing is durable when the tiny spider silk thread that holds your world view together appears to be cut. As Obama said on election day, the sun will still rise no matter what happens.

Finally, don't waste your talents and creative energy trying to cut others down to feel better. Their spider silk threads will snap on their own in a few weeks, months, or years.

Trust in good things, trust that good things endure, love others as God enables to do so, and then teach others to do the same.

]]>Easily my favorite Discovery Channel show of all time has to be Dirty Jobs. I love it because it celebrates hard work. It profiles amazing folks who went left when the world all seemed to be going right. And it shows us the quiet heros that make modern life both]]>https://biastoact.com/the-way-i-heard-it/c2afe70c-f85f-4438-9170-01f76ed83fa4Fri, 01 Jul 2016 21:28:06 GMT

Easily my favorite Discovery Channel show of all time has to be Dirty Jobs. I love it because it celebrates hard work. It profiles amazing folks who went left when the world all seemed to be going right. And it shows us the quiet heros that make modern life both possible and livable. But mostly I love it for Mike Rowe.

Since finding success on Cable TV, Mike has launched his own foundation to drive folks towards practical skilled jobs and lifestyles. He has done a funny and inspiring Ted Talk. And more recently he's launched a short form story podcast in the vain of the classic Paul Harvey Rest of the Story Broadcasts. This series of podcasts is called The Way I Heard It and is a great way to add a five minutes of mental stimulation each week.

]]>Rereading the Fellowship of the Ring this fine spring I've been struck by Frodo's journey as the hero of the story. Most particularly, how there is very little of said journey at the start. Learning of his Ring and the gathering darkness outside the Shire he recoils in horror. He]]>https://biastoact.com/the-heros-choice/af9e1b9d-4fbb-4088-843d-56eca8725537Tue, 14 Jun 2016 19:14:51 GMT

Rereading the Fellowship of the Ring this fine spring I've been struck by Frodo's journey as the hero of the story. Most particularly, how there is very little of said journey at the start. Learning of his Ring and the gathering darkness outside the Shire he recoils in horror. He didn't choose to have the Ring and despite Gandalf's assurance that he was 'meant' to have it, no sign of courage seems to spark in his heart.

There is much he now must do. But each thing he procrastinates into the last moment. He clings to his birthday tradition, to every shred of comfort, saying goodbye slowly. He lingers. There is little urgency and whether facing neighbors, the Sackville-Baggins, Black Riders, Farmer Maggot, or even his own friends he avoids and delays confrontation. This is no flight from the Shire. His friends in fact show more cunning and bravery than he, conspiring to protect and attend to him even if he won't do so himself.

Frodo appears as a character filled with regret and depression. Doubting. Second guessing. Pretending he would leave his friends behind to protect them, but appearing more like he rather not have a tough conversation. Not even the prospect of seeing Bilbo again gets his feet moving. He has some head knowledge and wisdom and can speak with Elves, but little else to recommend him. Certainly nothing to justify Gandalf and Bilbo's high regarding for him.

In fact, faced with his first true test against Old Man Willow it is Sam who shows some sense and bravery. Frodo ultimately runs away crying for help. Throughout the story Frodo even ignores good advice from Gandalf, Gilder, Farmer Maggot, and Tom Bombadil. This may be the journey he is meant to go on, but he does not do so willingly or wisely.

He says as much himself: "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened"

To which Gandalf replies: "So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for us to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

Frodo seems determined to not decide. Like you or I drafted into such a perilous quest he resists. He objects. The addition of years has matured him little from his days as a mushroom thief.

But then the Hobbits get caught by the Barrow-wight. And here at last Frodo is alone. His friends are in a frozen enchantment. Doom crawls like a spider around the corner. And he is awake. Why? Why was he not frozen like the others?

Then the thought took me, is it because of the Ring? As the greater power, did the ring give him some resistance to the Barrow-wight's spell? And now it feeds on him, offering him what he wants most - escape. Just slip it on and vanish. He could run free on the grass. Even Gandalf would agree there was nothing he could do. He would mourn his friends - but he would be free and alive.

And here, perhaps, we see the Ring undone ultimately by its own power. For while it could feed his selfishness and inflate his sense of being a victim of circumstance - it may even be able to offer protection from death. It could only do so by robbing him of his honor and his friends. And here, finally, we see the same spark Gandalf and Bilbo saw in Frodo kindle into a flame. He puts the ring away, takes the sword, approaches the enemy, and hews the Barrow-wight no thought of himself. Here, at the very last, he decides. He may not have hope of victory or escape, but he will do what he can with the time that is given to him.

This is the hero's choice - fleeing from comfort towards trial. Sacrificing for what is sacred. Risking for what is right.

A simple change with a profound impact. As discussed by such lofty and varied sources as The New York Times and Jerry Seinfeld, a wallet in your back pocket can cause misalignment of the spine along with all kinds of

A simple change with a profound impact. As discussed by such lofty and varied sources as The New York Times and Jerry Seinfeld, a wallet in your back pocket can cause misalignment of the spine along with all kinds of pains and aches.

For myself, I moved my wallet from my back pocket to my front pocket. A simple change. And yet for the first time in years my laying down is no longer defined by lower back pain. And the morning comes without back stiffness. A dramatic improvement for so small a change.

No if only they'd ship my plastc card so I could get down to just caring a money clip.

]]>What makes for a successful interview?

Hiring the perfect candidate is one kind of success. The other equally important kind of success is when the candidate pushes back in their chair, takes a deep breath, and tells you they aren't a good fit for the position. That they won't love

Hiring the perfect candidate is one kind of success. The other equally important kind of success is when the candidate pushes back in their chair, takes a deep breath, and tells you they aren't a good fit for the position. That they won't love the work.

People can say whatever they wish in an interview. They can put almost anything on their resume. But the only way to really gauge how they will actually feel about the work is to audition them. Make them show they possess both the ability to fulfill the job requirements and the desire to geek out on the work itself. To do it, think about it; even relish it day in, day out.

When hiring an individual, I prepare with an example set of real tasks I expect them to perform. I also select some team members to help me get a 360° view of the person and how they work.

And then I put them on the spot by making them work.

Examples:

For designers: Have them build a logo or a landing page in your presence. Are they excited to do it? Can they explain and defend their ideas? Do they care?

For programmers: Have them write code to solve problems already existing in the business. This isn't a time for clever puzzles; instead make the tasks mundane. Will they still get excited the 50th time they have to add fields to that admin? Do they think about how their code will be used and maintained by others? Do they love detail while being able to speak the big picture?

For analysts: Have them work with a spreadsheet of real customer data. Can they figure out how everything fits together? Do they explore the tabs, ask questions, and make assumptions? Is more data a burden or a delight?

For sales: Have them take your pitch sheet and sell. Sell the room. Have them call someone else in the company and sell. Can they relate? Do they love the adrenaline? Can they make 100 calls a day, hear 95 Nos, and still have a smile on their face?

For customer service: Have them handle a disgruntled customer. Have them reply to a real email your CS team gets. Can they defuse the situation? Can they explain complex policy? Can they find a middle ground? Can they do it over and over again, cheerfully?

For leaders: Have them take charge of the meeting. Can they whiteboard ideas and systems they don't yet understand? Can they ask good follow-up questions? Can they facilitate a conversation? How do they handle people? Have them deliver a performance correction or mediate a dispute between two people in the room.

Let them show off

You can't write an offer letter after 20 minutes on the phone or an hour in the office. You'll need an afternoon. You may need two. But take the time to make sure they are not only a good candidate on paper, but that they will really love the work. Good people will thrive when asked to do good work. They want to show off their skill and not just their experience. They want to step into the arena.

]]>A quick chat with a good friend about how to get things shipped. Also a test of periscope.

Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

Proverbs 14:4

Do you want a clean life?

Take a deep breath, stop reading, and think about it.

Do you want a clean life?

Do you want a life free from worry?
Free from heartache?
Free from pain?
Free from personal, professional, and relational failure?

Does that sound like something you want?

Let me ask it in another way: do you want a small life?

One free of the stumbles, the set backs, the terror, the division, the confusion, and ultimately the possible rewards that come form taking risk?

There is an old proverb that says that if you, the farmer, want a clean barn then you can have a small farm. But if you want a big farm you'll need help. Specifically oxen which means you'll have to deal with feedings and sh...ovelings, plantings and harvestings.

In the same manor you can have a clean, small life if you choose. But if you want to do something, and you want to step into the arena, and you want to contend with time and with fate and with circumstance to assemble a new destiny then you will have problems. Personal, professional, and relational dirt if you will. Filth you'll need to shovel day in a day out. But to win you must take action; therefore, you must embrace the dirt.